Quiz: Howstuffworks

How Well Do You Know Law Enforcement Slang?

Deborah Beckwin

Image: Ariel Skelley/DigitalVision/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Law enforcement across the United States and across the globe have their own jargon and slang.

Some of the language is derived from local and state penal codes, so they may not be relevant outside of the localities or municipalities where police officers work. But sometimes the words become more widely used in a region or throughout a country. For example, the California Penal Code for murder is 187, and through popular culture, it became a mainstream slang term.

Yet other slang terms are derived from the law enforcement officers themselves. (A lot of law enforcement slang is quite colorful, so you will not be seeing those words in this quiz.)

Beyond the slang, there's ten-codes used for communication on radios, as well as response codes which have the word "Code" with a number. And then there are the plethora of acronyms, which some of them you probably know: GTA (grand theft auto), DUI (driving under the influence), APB (all-points bulletin), DOA (dead on arrival) and DOC (Department of Corrections). But there are even more acronyms and terms used by law enforcement to test your knowledge on.

We hope you enjoy this trip through LEO slang and jargon. We promise you won't get pinched! Good luck!

Police officers are on the lookout for a lot of things. The term "stolo" refers to what?

Stolen vehicle

Stolen identity

Stolen loot

Stoli vodka

"Stolo" means "stolen car." This slang term seems to be used by those on the other side of the law, too. If you're "rollin' stolen," then you're driving a stolen car.

If someone is acting "hinky," what does that mean?

The person is acting suspiciously or abnormally.

The person is crazy and unstable.

The person looks nauseated and may vomit.

The person look like they may pass out.

The origins for the word "hinky" are old, possibly from the old Scots word "hink," which means "to hobble or limp." Either way, it's a way to describe someone's unusual behavior that causes police officers' concern.

After a shift, cops tend to go to "choir practice". Do you know what choir practice is?

Actual choir practice for a police chorus

Going to a music venue

Heading home

Hanging out after work

"Choir practice" is based off of the famous cop novel "The Choirboys" by former cop Joseph Wambaugh. These days, "choir practice" just means hanging out while off-duty to decompress and have fun, whether it's at a bar or not.

This slang term is also used by truckers—what is an "organ donor"?

A motorcyclist riding without a helmet

A motorist speeding

Someone driving too slowly

A pedestrian

This is one of the sardonic but honest slang terms about motorcyclists. Head injuries are one of the most common injuries that motorcyclists face while riding, especially without a helmet.

Sometimes, when dealing with suspects and perpetrators, stuff happens. What is a "homecoming bib"?

A baby's bib you buy at homecoming

Another name for a prison jumpsuit

What cops wear over their uniforms while eating

A garbage bag tied around the neck of someone who is drunk

Dealing with intoxicated people can mean unintended contact with body fluids. So tying a garbage bag or biohazard bag around a drunk person's neck can keep one's patrol car (and the suspect) clean. This is the same idea behind a "backseat diaper," which is a garbage bag placed in the back seat of a patrol car just in case someone soils themselves.

LEOs often use the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has unique words for every letter of the English alphabet. So what does "1 Delta 10 Tango" mean?

Idiot

ID not found

I'm directing traffic.

I don't think so.

LEOs use a lot of colorful language in code—with acronyms and with the NATO phonetic alphabet. "1 Delta 10 Tango" has the numbers acting as vowels, with the 1s as the Is and the zero acting as the letter O.

We've all seen someone like this—who is a "sidewalk inspector"?

A meter maid

A patrol cop

Someone who has passed out face down

A traffic cop

Many times, cops are dealing with drunk people of all sorts. "Sidewalk inspector" is a euphemism for someone who has passed out face down. It's similar to another slang term, "lawn ornament."

If you're an officer and get stuck with some "paper", what are you stuck with?

Warrants

Writing a report

Confiscated money

Replacing the toilet paper at work

If you're "writing paper," then you're writing a report. "Paper" can also mean someone who is on parole or probation. Depending on the context, "paper" can mean different things.

Unfortunately, this is a common offense across the country, especially during the holidays. What is a "deuce"?

Speeding

Failing to stop at a stop sign

DUI

Tailgating

"Deuce" (DUI is an acronym for driving under the influence) has its origins in California law enforcement agencies. A "super deuce" is known as a felony DUI. A "D-Dub" is a DWI (driving while intoxicated).

You've probably seen this sort of pursuit on a lot of cop shows, but never knew the slang term for it. What is "bailing in/bailing out"?

A robbery suspect fleeing a bank

A suspect is in a car chase

A suspect abandons their car and flees on foot

A suspect bails out of jail

"Bailing in/bailing out" may sound like a banking term, which it is. But for cops, it's when someone they're pursuing ditches their car and tries to run way on foot.

If you're driving and see these in your rear view, you probably need to pull over. What are "berries & cherries"?

An ambulance

A fire truck

Someone tailgating you

The blue and red lights of a police car

Although you should possibly pull over for a fire truck or an ambulance, it's not necessary if they don't have their flashing lights or aren't using their sirens. Sometimes, police cars only have their cherries (the red lights), but "berries & cherries" refers to the blue (berries) and red (cherries) lights on top of their patrol vehicles.

When two cops are "Mutt and Jeff", what's happening?

Arresting a suspect

Playing "good cop/bad cop" during an interrogation

Providing back-up on a stakeout

Another name for being partners

The origins of "Mutt 'n' Jeff" go back to early 20th-century U.K., from a comic strip of the same name. It's also meant to talk about two people who are wildly different.

This is a part of so many cop shows and movies—who or what is a "rabbit"?

A radar gun

A perp on the run

A speeder

A child

The chase, the pursuit—it's a part of so many cop movies and shows. And who gives chase is the "rabbit"—the suspect or perp on the run from the police.

If you have a set of "jiggle keys", what do you have?

Keys or tools to pick a car ignition lock

An extra set of house keys

Keys for a sticky door in your home or at work

Keys to your partner's house

In the age of keyless ignition, "jiggle keys," also known as "master keys" or "jigglers," really have no use. But back in the 1980s and 1990s, getting keys made from fingernail files or creating shaved keys (grooves ground down, making the key look really thin) made it easier for car thieves to steal popular cars from car makers such as Saturn (RIP), Toyota and Honda.

This is something you don't want a police officer to do to you. What does "hang paper" mean?

To give a traffic citation or ticket

To arrest you

To serve a warrant

To flash lights at you

No one likes getting a ticket, for whatever reason. And the slang for this term is pretty straightforward, but it is very different from "paper hanging" or being a "paper hanger."

Police have a term for this activity that some people have to do on occasion—what is the "golden flow''?

Bring gold coins to the local precinct for bail

Take a urine test

Drink orange juice

Be at the police station by sunrise

Another euphemism by law enforcement, "golden flow" refers to taking a urine test for drugs. This can be a random drug screen or a planned one.

In cop slang, what is a "California roll"?

A type of sushi

A rolling stop

Making a U-turn

When an SUV rolls over

Also known as a "California stop," a "California roll" means you haven't come to a full and complete stop at a stop sign. This means your speedometer needs to be at zero. Although it's not entirely clear where this saying came from, one of the most common traffic violations is failing to stop at stop signs and red lights.

As a cop, one may be walking into some dangerous situations. So what does "keepin' six" mean?

Making sure to get off at six p.m. every night

Keeping your hand on your gun

Watch your back

Working first shift

"Keepin' six" is for six o'clock. If you've ever heard people talk about looking at people or things at a certain position on the clock (e.g., suspect, 12 o'clock), then you know this is about where things are in relation to your body and its surroundings. Six o'clock refers to one's back, since that's where the hour hand would be in relation to one's body.

When police officers talk about a "Q-tip", what are they talking about?

The mouthpiece you blow into for a BAC test

An elderly female driver

What's used to swab crime scenes

A regular q-tip

As we age, we can begin to become shorter. And the term "Q-tip" takes that into account, because it's the image of only being able to see white hair from the rear of a vehicle, like a big cotton ball. And that's usually because elderly women are sitting low in their seats.

Cops have a number of names for rookies. What is a "blue flamer"?

A rookie who make a lot of mistakes

A rookie who gets fired in under a year

A rookie who gets promoted within a year

A rookie who is very eager to take answer radio calls

A blue flamer can understandably be obnoxious or annoying. Their eagerness to do police work may be a bit over the top.

If you're a cop and have to write a "Dear Chief" letter, what are you writing about?

You're putting in your resignation.

You're writing about an unfortunate situation you caused.

You're asking for a raise.

You're telling the chief all the things they're doing wrong.

The "Dear Chief" letter is definitely not a fun one to write. To explain what went on in a messy situation you carelessly caused is probably the last thing you want to do as a cop.

If you're given some "jewelry" by the police, what are you exactly being given?

Handcuffs

A police baton

A taser

A police whistle

It's another euphemism from law enforcement officers. It's probably the only kind of jewelry you'll always want to avoid.

Sometimes cops encounter some intense suspects. What does "vox" mean?

Someone who is extremely chatty

Someone who is violent and intoxicated

Someone who makes verbal threats against the police

Someone who is experiencing a seizure

Officially, the term is "violent intox." It's one thing to be inebriated, but it's another if you get angry or violent, too. If someone is a "vox," a cop may need backup to handle this person.

If you're going to a place with "three hots and a cot", where are you going?

A shelter

Jail

A hotel

Court

Cops have many euphemisms and sayings for jail or prison. Whether it's called "The Pokey," "The Cross Bar Hotel," "The Gray Bar Hotel" or "The Gray Door Hotel," it's a place where people who've been arrested go next.

This "six pack" is different than the one you're used to, although it's an important part of police work.

Six police officers together to make an arrest

What cops drink off-duty

Six patrol cars

The photo lineup of six suspects

This "six pack" has nothing to do with drinking beers or someone's physical fitness. It's to help eyewitnesses or victims identify someone who has committed a crime.

If you're a cop, you're going to encounter your fair share of dirtbags. Who or what is a "dirtbag"?

Filthy bathrooms

Dirty houses

Bad guys

Dirty bags

There are plenty of other names for perpetrators, some of which we can't write here. But some other common names for the bad guys: "maggot," "scumbag," "mutt," "skell" and "hooftie."

When someone is "tinning", what are they doing?

Parallel parking

Flashing their badge

Flashing their high-beams

Going golfing

The "tin" is the badge, and tinning means flashing your badge. That could be when you're talking to a person of interest, a suspect or just someone you need to talk to. You can also "tin to get in," meaning you flash your badge at the door of a bar or club so you can get in for free.

If a cop says someone is "in the wind", where are they?

They're running into oncoming traffic.

They're intoxicated.

They're mentally unstable.

They're gone/on the run.

"In the wind" mainly applies to people who have an active warrant and will be arrested. Another term for this is GOA (gone on arrival).

This is one common part of a cop's job—what is "knock and lock"?

Serve an arrest warrant, arrest suspect

Come to someone's home to talk

Knock on someone's door, and if it's open, lock it for them

Knock on the window of a driver and tell them to lock their car because of police activity in the area

This rhyming euphemism is one of the common activities cops have to do. "Knock" means going to someone's home and literally knocking on the door. "Lock" refers to locking someone up in jail.

When a cop uses a "Kojak light", what are they using?

A lollipop

A kind of flashlight

Portable flashing light

Hazard lights

Who loves you, baby? This flashing light is for unmarked cop cars, so when they need to pursue a suspect or get to some place fast, they throw up the "Kojak light." This was taken from the old cop show, "Kojak."

We've all been guilty of doing this—who or what is a "looky loo"?

Someone gawking at an accident

A nosy, gossipy neighbor

Someone who listens to police scanners

Someone who stares down cops as they pass by

Being a "looky loo" is so tempting as a driving because you want to know what's going on and see how bad the accident was. But it also means you're probably not looking where you're going and could cause another accident.

In the world of cop slang, "paper" can mean different things. So what does "paper hanger" mean?

Someone who writes fraudulent checks

A person stuck on desk duty

A cop who writes up a lot of tickets and citations

A supervisor who often writes people up for small infractions

The term "paper hanging" comes from the time period when a check clears—the float. So a paper hanger uses the float to write fraudulent checks and withdraw funds when they're made available—and then ditch the account once the bank realizes the checks are bad.

This has become a recent epidemic in the 2010s. What is "slamming"?

Using drugs intravenously

A new kind of stunt, similar to parkour

Slang for car theft

Another word for "dining and dashing"

As a slang word, "slamming" means a lot of different things outside of the law enforcement world. But "slamming" for cops means injecting drugs (such as heroin) via hypodermic needles.

If you have a "9 Mike Mike", what do you have?

A 9mm handgun

A megaphone

A PA system in your patrol car

Nine cops named Mike in your squad

Another euphemism from cops, Nine Mike Mike comes from the NATO phonetic alphabet, where M stands for Mike. You can use Mike Mike for any weapon's caliber.

If you're a driver, you've probably seen this and didn't know. What is "FADAR"?

Finely tuned RADAR

Fake RADAR

Flying RADAR (aerial surveillance)

Fast RADAR

If you're speeding on the highway and see a cop with his radar gun out, you may or may not be getting scanned. But seeing a cop with a radar causes you to slow down, right? So then it becomes a deterrent for speeders.

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